Thousands of machines will have to be serviced

Related Stories and Links

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Not everyone is happy the Royal Canadian Mint is moving to lighter loonies and toonies. Not only will some towns have to replace older turnstile parking meters; the vending machine industry will also have to service thousands of machines!

Will those salty snacks and tasty treats end up costing you more? Bill Chadwick with vending distribution company Brokerhouse Distributors tells us if they did jack up the price, they’d probably feel a big backlash from their customers.

“Most locations put up a fight; they don’t like seeing chocolate bars at a $1.25 or $1.50. Next thing you know, they are boycotting the machine a little bit, then the operator will be forced to put his price back down and affect his bottom line big-time,” he explains.

Small shops may have 10 to 15 machines, while large Lower Mainland companies could have between 500 and 1,000. At $45 to re-tune or even hundreds of dollars to replace these machines, this is going to cost them.

“People have got to remember that a vending machine is a service. The operator is buying the product using his gas, all his expenses to go up there fill up the machine and service it,” says Chadwick.